Photographers usually carry a camera on trips, excursions or holidays, to take commemorative or souvenir pictures. However, because cameras are precision instruments and relatively massive and heavy, they are sometimes inconvenient to carry about. In addition to the inconvenience of carrying the camera, photographers often forget to take the camera with them. If photographers do not take cameras but decide to take pictures on a trip or the like, it is not feasible to buy a new, high-quality camera, as cameras are relatively expensive and are intended for a long use.
Lens-fitted photographic film packages are available on the market which provide the opportunity of taking pictures even when no camera is available. Usually, these film packages comprise a film case fitted with a taking lens, an exposure mechanism which includes a film-winding mechanism and a shutter mechanism with their associated elements incorporated in the film case, and a film cartridge previously packaged in the film case. These film packages, after the exposure of all frames of the film, are forwarded to photofinishers without removing the film. There, film packages are opened, the exposed films are developed to make prints therefrom, and the film packages without the films may be scrapped. The prints, together with the developed films, are returned to the photographers. Such film packages make it easy to take pictures because there is no need for film loading or unloading.
Usually, this type of lens-fitted photographic film package is provided with a 135-size film cartridge. By incorporating the 135-size filmstrip contained in a film cartridge (such as the 135-size photographic film cartridge defined by the standard ISO code 1007 1979 edition) in such film packages, the existing film processing systems can be used for lens-fitted film packages.
A problem with film packages containing a 135-size film in a cartridge is that the exposed film has to be removed from the film package in a darkroom because during exposure, the film is withdrawn from the cartridge one frame for each exposure and, after the exposure of all frames of the film, all of the film is completely withdrawn from the cartridge and is not rewound. Such darkroom film handling is quite troublesome when a large number of films is to be processed at once, as in automatic photofinisher labs. If the film package is adapted to rewind the fully exposed film, and the fully withdrawn film is rewound into the cartridge, the film can be removed from the film package in daylight. However, rewinding the exposed film into the cartridge requires both a film rewinding mechanism which increases the manufacturing cost and also film winding before removing the film from the film package. Therefore, a film package containing a 135-size photographic film, although providing for handling in daylight, decreases overall handling efficiency.
Recently, lens-fitted 135-size film packages (also known as photographic film-incorporated cameras or single-use cameras) have been introduced which make it possible to remove easily an exposed film in daylight. Said film packages incorporate a rolled 135-size filmstrip and an empty film cartridge (such as a conventional 135-size film cartridge) in a light-tight film case of the film package, the rolled film being wound up in the cartridge by one frame every exposure. Due to the provision of the empty cartridge in the light-tight film case of the film package, when the exposure of all frames of the film is completed, the film is entirely within the cartridge. Therefore, the cartridge can be taken out very easily, without any need for film rewinding. The exposed film is removed from the cartridge and handled in the same manner as conventional 135-size film for development and processing, while the film case is scrapped. For economy, the film case that incorporates the roll of film, the cartridge and the necessary elements is made of plastic materials and is configured as simply as possible. The lens-fitted photographic film package as sold is enclosed in a thin cardboard or plastic external case with an ornamental pattern printed thereon. Examples of lens-fitted 135-size photographic film packages are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,758,852, 4,812,866, 4,833,495, 4,855,774, 4,884,087, 4,972,649, 4,827,298, 4,882,600, and 4,901,097 and in EP 527,430.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,713 discloses a lens-fitted photographic film unit which is pre-loaded with unexposed photographic film. An exposure station is adapted to expose the film. A film-supplying chamber is disposed beside the exposure station for containing the unexposed film wound in a roll with a first film end wound internally in the roll. A film-take-up chamber is disposed on a side opposite to the film-supplying chamber with respect to the exposure station. A spool is rotatably contained in the take-up chamber, and the exposed film is wound up inside the film take-up chamber, after passage through a chamber entrance thereof, when the spool is rotated in a winding direction. An outer slot is formed in communication with the film take-up chamber for allowing the first film end to exit to an outside of the film unit when the film is rotated in an unwinding direction, which is reverse to the winding direction, after winding the entire film in the film take-up chamber. Accordingly, the exposed film is allowed to exit to the outside-the-film unit by an external operation after exposure, without the need of having a photographic cartridge.
The wide availability on the market of lens-fitted single-use film packages at low cost has resulted in the offer by manufacturers of lens-fitted single-use film packages which are differentiated by the intended uses. For example, it is possible to have in the marketplace lens-fitted single-use packages which are customized for special events (such as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, contests, conventions, etc.) and/or special locations (cities, zoological gardens, recreation grounds, museums, etc.). Manufacturers can offer customized lens-fitted film packages simply by differentiating the cardboard or plastic case described above.
Photographers may enjoy receiving prints for their pictures in which the image is comprised in a border frame remindful of the event and/or location. To that purpose, photofinishers can expose by contact in the photographic printing step the developed image frame with a suitable preformed mask and obtain a print with a border frame. Such an operation is quite troublesome when a large number of developed image frames are to be printed at once, represents the cost of an extra step, both in manually operated and in automated photofinishing machines, and reduces the overall printing efficiency.
Photographic films in strips can give information to the photofinisher to take advantage of certain automated cost-saving features which allow the photofinisher to process the film at a reduced cost. For manually operated photofinishing machines, the top edge of the strip film comprises eye-readable information to enable the operator to properly print the film. For example, the eye-readable information on the top edge of the film includes the manufacturer's name, the type of film, the speed of the film, and a number assigned by the film manufacturer designating the type of film. For automated photofinishing machines, a so-called "DX" bar code is provided along the bottom edge of the film between every half-frame number. The DX bar code, which is between each of these numbers, specifies the National Association of Photographic Manufacturers (NAPM) number which designates the type of film. Automatic photofinishing machines, prior to printing the film, guide the bottom edge of the filmstrip past an optical bar code reader to extract information necessary to determine the type of film. Additionally, a frame number bar code can be included along the top or bottom edge of the filmstrip at every frame which is used for reordering prints.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,265 describes some standardized package bodies for producing different film packages, such as standard type, telephoto type and panoramic type film packages. To print the photographic film in accordance with the photography type of the film package in which the photographic film has been loaded, the photographic films and/or film cassettes containing the photographic films are provided with indicia as to the photography type of the associated film packages. Mechanically detectable data, such as mechanically readable punch codes, or optically readable dot patterns are disclosed as indicia on the film to obtain prints of the required size.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a photographic filmstrip having information relating to the intended use of the said photographic film. It is a further object to provide a method of forming graphics in a photographic print produced from said photographic film.